Tongued With Fire
by Mina Janke
Summary: Amelie Bauer is a 17 year old backpacker traveling Europe for a mysterious reason. When kidnapped by Capricorn's men, she finds herself in a fight for her freedom and her life. One day, after thinking she had escaped Capricorn's dark world, she comes across a van traveling south, and winds up in the same trouble she had just left days ago.


Amelie Bauer always made sure to be careful while traveling; she was a backpacker from Germany traveling Europe for a year before she began college. To provide funds for her travels, she sold her stories and songs in town squares and even sold her time to read stories to children for a short while. It was all very exciting to the seventeen-year-old. Though her feet hurt sometimes, and there were some evenings where she went without dinner in order to pay for boarding at a hostel, she was enjoying herself immensely. Amelie wondered if her mother had still been around, if she would even be allowed to go on this journey; but here she was, enjoying the northern parts of Italy, reading one of her stories to a group a children. It was market day for this small village, and though cold winds were beginning to roll in, people still flocked to the square of this village.

Just as she had finished the last of her story, a small girl tugged on the strings of her boots, asking for another. "I'm sorry Flora," Amelie smiled, "but your papa has offered me a ride to the next leg of my journey. There are some sights I want to see." The little girl ran to her mother, who slipped a banknote in Amelie's hand and thanked her for keeping her children busy. She said her goodbyes, and departed in Flora's father's car, bound for the south, where hopefully, it'd be a little warmer for a while longer. Amelie wasn't ready for winter to come along just yet.

Amelie had been dropped off at a gas station in the hills. Here, she ate her share of stale rolls and mapped out where she was to go to next. There was something she wanted to see and write about. An abandoned village, the Devil's Village, some called it. She wasn't one to believe in old ghost stories, but they intrigued her all the same. The stories about this village were more interesting than the stories she had been told about any other place. Apparently, the Devil himself lived in the village and sends his men out every so often to set homes alight and kidnap the daughters of the townsfolk. Obviously, it wasn't true. Amelie had done research, and sure, some girls disappeared, but not a significant number. Girls got stir crazy in these small villages, that was all.

As soon as the last of her coffee was finished, Amelie slung her backpack over her shoulders and headed down the winding road. It was chilly, but still warm enough to wear just a thin long-sleeved tee shirt and keep her short, blonde hair out in the sunlight for a few more days. Soon, she'd have to wear the knitted hat her mother had made for her to keep herself warm. Short hair wasn't always the best to have in the winter. But today, the sun was bright and the air was dry, it was a perfect day for traveling. Amelie took a book of matches out of her pocket, and lit a cigarette, holding it between her index and middle finger.

Amelie's feet had carried her several kilometers, all the way down the hill and into the valley, where she had stopped underneath the branches of an olive tree for a breather. She had been off the main road for quite some time, and according to her maps, she was going in the right direction. As she made her way farther down the road, her hand instinctively went to the pocket which she kept her small knife in. Amelie had the feeling that she was being followed. When she glanced behind her, she noted that there was only one vehicle traveling down the road, at a slower pace, but she guessed that it was only trying to avoid the many potholes. Still, as she continued on, shrugging, her hand rested on her knife as a precaution. One could never be too careful while traveling, especially when one was a woman.

The vehicle, a white van, slowed down as it passed Amelie. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted a few men, nothing more. If needed to, she was confident that she could defend herself against them. The girl ignored them, instead taking a drag of her cigarette and walking on.

"Hey princess, where you headed?" One shouted. Amelie glanced over to the men in the car, and walked on, ignoring them. She didn't need to bother herself with them.

"She must be shy, your ugly face is probably scaring her, Cockerell," Another said, laughing as the van slowed down to a crawl. His mannerisms and the way he looked at her reminded her of a cat. She could honestly say she was frightened. Never in her life had she felt so threatened. Amelie wanted to turn around and head back to the gas station, but it had been out of sight for ages, and she wanted to reach the village by nightfall. At least there, she'd have shelter. "Hey, girl, we're talking to you."

Amelie shook her head and chuckled, amused that they were still trying to get her attention, "If you pigs are honestly trying to pick me up, then you should also know that you're wasting your time." In other places, most men would give up after being ignored, these wanted something from her, she could feel it. The car jolted to a stop, and the men clambered out. Amelie's hand flew out of her pocket, flipping the blade of her knife out. She mustered up the most menacing look possible, and stared the men down. "Leave me alone," the girl threatened.

They laughed.

"I don't think you realize that you're very outnumbered, girl." The cat-like man started, "There's five of us and only one of you." With a chuckle, he pulled out a knife of his own, as if to state that he and the others had the upper hand. Amelie only wanted to survive right now. She didn't want the police to find her mangled body on the side of the road one day. There were things in life she still had to do. She had promises to keep. She didn't want to die. Not now. Not here.

With a sudden burst of courage, Amelie, swiped at the closest person with her knife and darted off in the opposite direction from where she was walking. She was small, and had been a runner back in school. The young woman was sure she could outrun them. She ran as hard as she could, without looking back. She wanted to live. However, she heard heavy feet plowing behind her. Someone was catching up, but Amelie was too afraid to look. She never took her next step, something had hit her head, and she crumpled down on the ground, where everything went black.

Amelie heard the creaking of a wooden door, when she finally came to. Her head was resting on the back of a man dressed in black. As her eyes scanned around, she noted that everyone was in black, or so it seemed. Her vision was still very foggy. As she moved her neck, she could hear each and every bone in it crack and pop. Everything hurt.

"What's this?" Amelie heard from behind her. Where was she? "I didn't ask for anyone. You were simply sent to burn that whelp's house down to the ground, not bring me somebody back." The voice was loud and demanding, as if he were a king. She wondered if she really was dead, and this was her judgement. She had to be dead. Amelie could see the news headlines now. '_Young backpacker found dead in Italian countryside'_. Very tragic.

The arms that were carrying her placed her down on the ground. Amelie immediately scrambled up to her feet, brushing herself off. Her backpack was gone, as well as the knife that she had been carrying, but she didn't worry about those at all. There was a man in front of her, pale and tall. He was very plain in appearance, with a face that didn't seem to suit his voice, but he held himself in the manner that a king would. He frightened Amelie.

"She was headed toward the village." The same man who had threatened her with the knife said. He appeared to have some authority. "Her bag was filled with papers with scribbling on them as well as this." He handed a book to the man. Her book. Amelie's heart began to race. She needed this book, _Inkheart_. This pale man looked at this book as if it were some delectable treat just waiting to be devoured. Without another word, he handed it to a woman, who took it away.

No. No. No. Amelie's mind was all over the place, worried about her own life, as well as the safety of the book. She needed it. "Please, that book is very important to me!" She cried out, her voice wavering. This was absurd. Amelie was beginning to realize the gravity of the situation she was in. She had been kidnapped, and she was very, very far from her home in Berlin, and this pale, awful man was laughing at her.

"It couldn't be more important to you than it is to me." He chuckled, looking her over. His hands picked at her short, choppy blonde hair and over and over again, he lifted her arms up, as if he were inspecting how much muscle or fat she had on them. "I can't even tell if you're a girl or a boy, with that hair of yours." He had a look on his face that seemed like he thought that he was the funniest person on earth.

The man mused to himself for a moment, and then went into the back of the room and seated himself in a great armchair. A throne of sorts. He curled and uncurled his fingers, gazing at them, as if touching her had tainted them in some way. "So," he said, in an oddly calm voice, "Who do we have the pleasure of being our guest?"

Amelie's voice wouldn't work, she tried her hardest to utter even the tiniest sound from her mouth. The brave girl she had been only moments before vanished. She was frightened. "A-a-a," she tried, "Amelie Bauer." Her lip trembled, she could burst into tears at any moment now. Her book was gone, her backpack, in which she held her works, and her freedom were gone. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be leaving any time soon.

"Well then, miss Amelie, welcome to my little world."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thank you so very much for taking the time to read my new fic! This is just a preface to the upcoming chapters, to introduce Amelie and the situation she's in. Look forward to the next chapter, where you'll find out just how important Fenogilo's Inkheart was to her and who she runs in to. I look forward to writing this fic! All characters, save for Amelie, belong to Cornelia Funke. This is slightly AU, and the events should not be referenced to in other fics. Thank you!


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